Chapter 1001: Make a statement

By the time Yue Ling slowly stirred, the sky outside was already brightly lit, with faint traces of gray clouds drifting across the morning horizon.

For a few moments, she remained caught between sleep and wakefulness, unaware of where she was. The steady warmth surrounding her felt almost dreamlike, while the rhythmic beat beneath her cheek slowly pulled her back to reality.

She recognized his scent first.

Then the familiar strength of his arms wrapped securely around her waist.

Her eyelashes fluttered before her bluish-green eyes slowly opened.

The first thing she saw was the faint morning light filtering through the curtains.

The second was Lu Tian.

He was still asleep, his features unusually relaxed. One arm remained firmly around her, as though even in sleep, his instinct was to keep her close.

Yue Ling remained still.

She stared at him.

Last night came back to her in fragments—the hospital, Jingxu, her grandfather, Fate, Hung Woo...

Her chest tightened.

But before the memories could completely overwhelm her, Lu Tian’s arm tightened around her waist.

Still asleep, he pulled her slightly closer.

Yue Ling froze for a moment.

Then a faint smile touched her lips.

She slowly settled back against his chest, resting her head beneath his chin.

For the first time in what felt like forever, she allowed herself to do nothing.

No decisions.

No enemies.

No family crisis.

No responsibilities.

Just him.

And for a few quiet moments, that was enough.

However, as she wanted to stay in bed, Yue Ling slowly shifted beneath the blanket, careful not to wake him.

She lifted her head from Lu Tian’s chest and glanced at his sleeping face.

He appeared completely at ease, his breathing slow and steady.

Carefully, she reached for his arm around her waist and tried to ease herself out of his embrace.

The moment she moved, his arm tightened.

Yue Ling froze.

She waited.

Nothing.

Thinking he was still asleep, she carefully tried again.

This time, Lu Tian’s arm pulled her firmly back against him.

She let out a quiet breath.

"Tian..."

No response.

Yue Ling frowned and tried to lift his arm.

It didn’t budge.

Instead, Lu Tian buried his face against the top of her head, his hold tightening around her as though his sleeping instincts had decided she wasn’t going anywhere.

A faint smile tugged at her lips.

"You’re awake, aren’t you?"

A low, sleepy hum came from above her.

Yue Ling rolled her eyes.

"I need to get up."

"No."

His answer came without hesitation, making her blink.

"No?"

Lu Tian finally opened his eyes, his gaze still heavy with sleep.

"No."

Yue Ling stared at him for a moment before trying to pull away again.

His arm immediately tightened.

"Lu Tian."

"Five more minutes."

"I need to go see Jingxu."

"You can see him after you eat."

"I’m not hungry."

"You will be."

"I need to stop by work, too."

"I called in for you..."

He paused, then continued.

"And for me."

She narrowed her eyes.

He looked completely serious.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other.

Then Lu Tian pulled her closer, resting his chin lightly against the top of her head.

"You finally slept," he murmured. "I’m not letting you get up after barely a few hours."

Yue Ling sighed.

"You’re being unreasonable."

"Probably."

His eyes closed again.

"But I’m still not letting you go."

Despite herself, Yue Ling smiled. She knew she had lost.

Afternoon had fully settled over Imperial by the time Yue Ling finally managed to escape Lu Tian’s arms.

The couple shared a simple breakfast, not forgetting to feed Inu before getting ready for the day.

After washing up, she stood in front of the mirror, brushing through her long hair while the events of the previous night slowly returned to her.

For a moment, she stared at her reflection.

The woman looking back at her appeared calm.

Almost too calm.

But beneath that composed expression was the exhaustion she could no longer hide.

She set the brush down and opened her closet.

After changing into a simple dark beige cashmere sweater and a simple black skirt, she slipped on black ballerina flats and gathered her hair into a messy, loose bun at the nape.

Behind her, Lu Tian emerged from the bathroom, already dressed.

He wore a black crewneck sweatshirt and black trousers.

His eyes immediately settled on her.

"You’re going to the hospital."

It wasn’t a question.

Yue Ling glanced at him through the mirror.

"Yes."

He didn’t argue this time.

Instead, he picked up his phone from the nightstand.

"I received an update."

Yue Ling turned around.

"From Yeye?"

Lu Tian nodded.

"Jingxu is still asleep from the medications. Doctor Dong checked on him early this morning."

Her expression softened slightly.

"How is he?"

"Stable."

A small breath escaped her lips.

The tension in her shoulders eased.

"His injuries are severe," Lu Tian continued. "But Doctor Dong said there were no additional complications overnight."

Yue Ling nodded slowly.

That was enough to let her breathe again.

"What about Yeye?"

Lu Tian’s expression changed subtly.

"He’s awake."

She looked at him.

"And?"

"He stayed at the hospital most of the night. He refused to leave Jingxu’s side."

Yue Ling lowered her eyes.

That sounded exactly like her grandfather.

Lu Tian continued, his voice calm.

"He was told to rest this morning. Doctor Dong made sure he understood that collapsing again wouldn’t help Jingxu."

A faint smile touched Yue Ling’s lips.

"Doctor Dong is probably the only person who can tell Yeye what to do without being afraid of him."

"He wasn’t particularly gentle about it."

That earned a quiet laugh from her.

For a moment, the room felt almost normal.

Then Yue Ling’s expression became serious.

"What happened to Red Militant?"

Lu Tian watched her carefully.

"Fate handled it."

She waited.

"Red Militant is no longer a functioning organization. Wiped clean from the underworld."

Yue Ling’s fingers paused as she adjusted her skirt.

"And Hung Woo?"

Lu Tian didn’t answer immediately.

He stepped closer, his gaze never leaving her face.

"Liu Shan and Xu Long took care of him."

Yue Ling understood.

She didn’t ask anything else.

There was no need.

Her eyes lowered to her hands.

Despite everything, the memory of the previous night still lingered somewhere beneath her skin.

Lu Tian reached out and gently took her hand.

"You don’t have to think about it right now."

Yue Ling looked up at him.

"I know."

She gave his hand a small squeeze before letting go.

Then she reached for her black wool coat.

"Let’s go see my brother."

Lu Tian nodded. He took her coat and held it out.

As Yue Ling slipped her arms into it, she caught sight of herself in the mirror once more.

She looked composed.

Ready.

But this time, she wasn’t pretending that she could carry everything alone.

With Lu Tian beside her, she turned toward the door.

As the couple took Lu Tian’s Maserati Levante Trofeo to Imperial Military Hospital, the news of Red Militant spread through the underworld before the sun had fully risen.

Retro wasn’t the only one who heard the news.

By the time the sun began to rise over Imperial, the story had already traveled far beyond the city.

It moved through every dark corner of the world where men and women did business outside the law.

Underground casinos.

Private clubs.

Hidden warehouses.

Backroom offices.

Ports where cargo changed hands without questions being asked.

Even the most secluded corners of the criminal underworld had heard the same thing.

Every organization in the underworld had heard.

At first, it came as whispers.

A phone call made in the early hours of the morning.

A hurried message sent between organizations.

A man waking his superior with only four words—

"Red Militant is gone."

No one believed it at first.

Hung Woo had spent years building Red Militant into an organization powerful enough that other groups thought twice before crossing it. His men were feared, his influence widespread, and his name carried enough weight to make smaller organizations avoid drawing his attention.

Yet by dawn, reports began coming in from different corners of Imperial and into other countries.

Red Militant had been breached.

Their men had been overwhelmed before they could organize a defense.

Several key members had disappeared.

Others had tried to flee but never made it out the door.

And there was no survivor.

There had been no declaration of war.

No warning.

No demand for surrender.

Fate had simply appeared.

And then Red Militant had ceased to exist.

The strangest part was Hung Woo.

No one could find him.

His phone was unreachable.

His usual contacts had stopped responding.

Even those who had worked closely with him claimed they knew nothing about his whereabouts.

That uncertainty became the most frightening part of the news.

If Hung Woo were dead, someone would eventually announce it.

If he had escaped, someone would eventually find him.

But neither had happened.

By sunrise, rumors had already begun spreading through private clubs, underground casinos, warehouses, and backroom meetings.

"Who did it?"

"Fate."

The answer was always followed by silence.

Some refused to believe it.

Others remembered the last time Fate had made itself known.

A few older members of the underworld exchanged uneasy glances.

They remembered the woman behind the mask.

Mami of Fate.

The name alone was enough to quiet an entire room.

One organization had disappeared overnight.

Its leader was missing.

That meant Fate had come to collect.

For many, the news felt less like an isolated incident and more like another piece falling into place.

First, there had been Ghost Gang.

An organization that had once been considered untouchable had suddenly fallen, leaving the underworld questioning what had happened and who had been powerful enough to bring it down.

Then came the unexpected return of Fate.

After years of silence, the organization had emerged from the shadows once again, its name spreading through the underworld almost overnight.

And now this.

Red Militant had been destroyed before dawn.

Three events.

One after another.

Too significant to ignore.

In a private room somewhere overseas, an older man sat silently as he listened to the report.

"First Ghost Gang..."

His fingers slowly tightened around the glass in his hand.

"Then Fate returns."

He paused.

"And now Red Militant?"

No one sitting around the table answered.

There was nothing to say.

Everyone in the room understood what made the situation unsettling.

The underworld had always been ruled by balance.

Organizations rose.

Organizations fell.

Power shifted between different hands.

But this felt different.

Something was changing.

The question was no longer whether Fate had truly returned.

That had already been answered.

The question was what would happen now that it had.

Across the world, similar conversations were taking place.

Some wondered whether Red Militant had simply crossed the wrong person.

Others wondered whether Ghost Gang’s downfall and Red Militant’s destruction were connected.

A few were already questioning whether Fate had been behind more than anyone realized.

But no one had proof.

Only rumors.

And rumors were dangerous things in the underworld.

Especially when they all pointed in the same direction.

Fate had returned.

And after years of silence, the world had suddenly been reminded why its name had once been feared.

For the first time in years, powerful men began looking over their shoulders.

Not because Fate had threatened them.

Not because Mami had announced a target.

But because she hadn’t.

That frightened them more than any declaration could have.

Because the underworld understood one thing very clearly...

When Fate wanted to make a statement, it didn’t need to announce itself.

The aftermath was the announcement.